AEW Reportedly Bringing Back MJF Amid Major Backstage Drama

Mere months after MJF disappeared from AEW after a contract dispute with Tony Khan, the controversial star could be making his return to the company amid major backstage drama among AEW’s top stars.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingNews.co), MJF is expected to be back on AEW programming “somewhat soon” in order to boost its roster and TV ratings at this crucial time: “The negotiations for a new AEW TV deal will likely begin in a few months and go into the spring. With the recent drop in AEW’s TV ratings, AEW will be regaining its star power after several wrestlers have been on the injured list. The promotion is expected to get MJF and Adam Cole back in action for this fall and winter to help improve the ratings.”

MJF’s issues with AEW reportedly stem from the homegrown star making significantly less money than numerous high-profile AEW stars, including ex-WWE talents the company has brought in to create arguably the most stacked roster in all of pro wrestling. Although MJF is one of the first marquee AEW stars with noteworthy issues with the company, he certainly isn’t the only one.

In addition to the ongoing backstage drama involving CM Punk and Adam “Hangman” Page, Meltzer (h/t Wrestling Inc) also reports that “the alleged drama doesn’t just involve Punk, but many top guys in the organization, and has gotten much worse in recent weeks.” The issues involving AEW’s top stars reportedly stem from the situation involving Colt Cabana—a former friend-turned-foe of Punk’s—nearly being let go and essentially disappearing from AEW programming, but have since neared a “breaking point” as the frustrations of some of AEW’s biggest names have continued to worsen.

MORE FROM FORBES5 WWE Stars Who Must Change Brands In 2022 DraftBy Blake Oestriecher

The separate situations involving Punk, the top tier of the roster and MJF aren’t exactly the same, but they do point to a developing trend of potential behind-the-scenes issues within AEW—problems that AEW looks to be in the process of fixing. The company, after all, recently made substantial management changes, with the likes of Sonjay Dutt, QT Marshall, Pat Buck and Madison Rayne all taking on increased backstage roles to assist Khan with running the company.

That was a necessary move, as AEW’s roster has expanded dramatically and now cycles more than 100 on-screen performers in and out of its TV shows. Although AEW has been viewed by many within pro wrestling circles as a WWE alternative or even a place for disgruntled ex-WWE stars to stay in the national splotlight, what we’re starting to see are cracks forming in the foundation of AEW and the reality that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

MJF, of course, is the biggest AEW star who’s publicly appeared to be at odds with AEW in a way that has really portrayed the world’s No. 2 wrestling promotion in a negative light. While Cody Rhodes left AEW and has been a huge hit since returning to WWE, he hasn’t spoken ill of AEW since departing the company in early 2022 and has been respectful of Khan and AEW as a whole. MJF, as we know, has been a different story.

Though “The Salt of the Earth” has essentially “vanished” from pro wrestling amid his contract dispute with AEW, he has never been shy about his willingness to jump ship to WWE or WWE’s interest in him. Thus, many have expected MJF to remain off of AEW programming for the foreseeable future, but if AEW can—or already has—reached a financial compromise with AEW, rest assured that the company will bring him back, despite the bad timing of adding a controversial star like MJF to the mix when AEW’s backstage atmosphere is already struggling with personality clashes.

The reality, though, is that the battle between AEW and WWE has been flipped upside down in recent weeks. With Triple H taking control of WWE’s creative process, both Raw and SmackDown have been on an unquestioned upswing, while AEW has hit its first extended rut in company history in recent months. The good news for AEW is that bringing back Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and Kenny Omega seems to have instantly improved its storylines and bolstered intrigue in the AEW product.

The bad news, though, is that the returns of those stars means that AEW now has numerous alphas atop an already jam-packed roster but is still struggling to grow its TV audience and is now dealing with morale issues similar to the ones that plagued WWE under Vince McMahon. This will be a huge test for Khan and AEW as a whole, as MJF reentering the fray is only going to make AEW’s room full of top dogs even more crowded.

How MJF is brought back—does he get involved with Punk and Jon Moxley?—and how he meshes, or fails to mesh, with AEW’s disgruntled main event scene could very well be a make-or-break scenario for AEW.